Highlights from the Power Up Networking Breakfast

This morning we enjoyed a frank, thought-provoking discussion led by Magdalena Yesil, CEO/Founder of Broadway Angels and the founding board member and first investor of Salesforce. Thanks Magdalena!

“The VC industry is 94% male. I decided to become a VC because I wanted to change that ratio, but I also wanted a competitive advantage. If you want to be a successful investor, get to know the female consumer. She is incredibly powerful.”

Jess Lee, Partner, Sequoia Capital

“Unconscious bias is a tricky thing. If I am not conscious of something, how can I be guilty of it?”

Magdalena Yesil, Founder, Broadway Angels & Author of Power Up: How Smart Women Win in the New Economy

“Our brains are very lazy. They’re not data-driven, they’re heuristic-driven. We are wired to recognize simple patterns. We need to find ways to force ourselves to do the math, go to the data.”

Steven Aldrich, Chief Product Officer, GoDaddy

“We all have biases, depending on who we are, where we grew up. It’s only through feedback from friends, family and co-workers that we improve.”

George Gallegos, CEO, Jitterbit

“Humans make AI. As a result, AI, left to its own devices, tends to reproduce bias on a massive scale. It’s a powerful tool, but unfortunately it’s not a magic fix. People thought that telephones would cure loneliness.”

“Coming across as self-deprecating and humble can be perceived as a weakness, but it’s also a strength if it engenders trust and loyalty in your team. The problem is there aren’t enough role models. We need more women who are both successful and authentically themselves.”

Jess Lee, Partner, Sequoia Capital

“When people congratulate me on any success I have, my first response is to shake my head and say that I was lucky. That I was at the right place, at the right time. And I need to use my superego to fight that impulse. It’s easy to sabotage yourself.”

Magdalena Yesil, Founder, Broadway Angels & Author of Power Up: How Smart Women Win in the New Economy

“What are the questions we’re asking in interviews? Are they at all connected to positive outcomes? Are we exhibiting consistency in the way we’re asking those questions?”

Steven Aldrich, Chief Product Officer, GoDaddy

“If you see someone getting in the way of their own success, then as a manager it’s time to have a discussion.”

George Gallegos, CEO, Jitterbit

“Diverse teams consistent outperform homogeneous teams, particularly when the problem is especially difficult to solve. However, they often come across less confident when they deliver their answer.”

“If you have a great idea but are uncomfortable with speaking out in a big meeting, write it down and share it over email. Post it to Slack. Approach your manager individually. Make sure you get credit.”

Jess Lee, Partner, Sequoia Capital

“What’s one way to mitigate bias when working with recruiting managers? Take the names off the resumes.”

Magdalena Yesil, Founder, Broadway Angels & Author of Power Up: How Smart Women Win in the New Economy

“There are behaviors that as leaders we need to be very careful of. If an email is sent to someone, and we’re on a cc group, it’s respectful to wait for the primary recipient to answer first.”

Steven Aldrich, Chief Product Officer, GoDaddy

“There’s a mother penalty. Women with children suffer all sorts of disadvantages in terms of career advancement and compensation. Men with kids are often just considered great dads.”